Safety railway-switch structure.



PATNTED JUNE 19, 1906.

No. 823,732. l T H.. R. LUTHER. SAFETY RAILWAY SWITCH STRUCTURE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 1. 1905.

mnnaw n, www: Ro. new uhmm-:wens wisumom l LNG. 8.6.3332;

UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

HENRY E. LUTHEEToEiNEwToN, MASSACHUSETTS.

specification offnetters' Patent.

SAFETY FurlLWAYl-sw-l*roi-lA 'STRLICTUFHLv Patented June 1o, 1906.2Y

Application filed September 1,1905. Serial No. 276,731.

To a/ZZ whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that l, HENRY R. LUTHEn, a citizen of the'United States, and a resident of Newton, county of Middlesex, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, h'ave invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Railway- Switch Structures, of which therfollowing is a specification, reference being had to the drawings accompanying the same.

My invention relates to that class of switches usually inserted at a point in railway-tracks where one track converges from another. Where switches of this class are used at points where cars pass over it in both directions, what is known as a key is usedc'. e., a small block of iron ofa isize thatwill fill the space between the point ofthe switchtongue and the side wall of the recess when the tongue is moved to either side of the re- The objectof the key is to prevent the tongue from being moved by contact of the lflange or tread of the car-wheel with the heel of the tongue as it passes over it. When cars pass over this class of switch in running Jfrom the point to the heel, the wheels of the forward trucks of cars having two trucks are Vliavble to move the switch-'tongue by contact of ythe lange and tread with the heel of the tongue unless a key is inserted, with the result that the forward set of wheels would run upon one track ,while the rear set would run upon the diverging tracks, and thereby derail the car.

There is an objection to the use of a key in that if a car-wheel passed from the heel to the point of a switch which was set wrong and had a key in it it would either break or so badly bend the tongue as to render it useless.

'13 e object of my improved mechanism is to-I' ovide means to obviate the objectionable results due to the use of a key.

Another object is to Yprovide a locking device-for the switch-tongue which will hold it against accidental displacement due to contact ofthe ilange or tread with the heel, but will permit it to move by the pressure of the wheel-flange when same is run in a direction from heel to point in cases where the tongue was set wrong.

A further object is to provide a ryielding locking device in which the tension to hold the tongue in its adjusted position may be varied, so that the tongue may not be moved by the hands or feet of a person, but could be readily moved with what is known as. a switch-stick.77

A still further object of my invention is lto Vprovide a switch-tongue so formed atl its heel as todo awaywith the usual lug projecting downwardly into a recess :in the body part, the heel being circular in form and tapering to `fitasimilarly-ormed socket in the bodyT part so `arranged thatthe spring lockingv device will hold the heel of the tongue firmly in its socket in the body part by its locking tension. y

i In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a switch-body and tongue and my improved pivot-socket and locking device. Fig. 2 represents the switch-tongue in side elevation, showing a portion of the locking device. Fig. 3 is a sectional view of my imrproved switch through line 3 3, Fig.; 1. Fig.

4 is a partial plan view of my improved switch with portions of the tongue and the switch-body cut away to show the spring Fig. 5 is a partial plan view and Fig. 6 i's a cross-section through line 6 6, Fig. 5.

In the drawings, 1 represents the body of 4 the switch. 2 is a portion forming the guides and treads of the switch and is inserted in a recess in the body 1. 3 represents a switchvtongue which has --a semicircular beveling portion 4 at its heel adapted to fit inthe vsocket 5 oftheportion 2.

6 is a downwardly-prnojectingV lug upon the switch- ;tongue 3, which is formed to receive the link portion 'Tof the locking device. 8 is a spring formed to be pivoted to the portion 7 at one end and to rest upon the lug 9 near its midportion, its outer end having the portion 10 formed to abut against the end of an adjusting-screw 1 1. The adjusting-screw 11 has bearings in the lugs 12 12. 13v is a check-nut threaded upon the adjusting-screw 11. The lugs 12 12 are formed upon a boX portion 14. Said portion` 14 lis attached to the body part 1 of the switch by any suitable means. 15 15 15 represent rail-sections of the usual railroo' way-trackwhich are secured to the body porturn secured to the body part 1 of the switch by any suitable means. The spring 17 has a cam-shaped projection 20, formed near its mid-portion arranged to contact with the cam-shaped projection 21. Said projection 21 is formed upon the switch-tongue 3. The modification also has the box 22, which is secured to the side of the body part 1 by any sultable means. The boX 22 is provided with the lugs 23 23, which have mounted therein the adjusting-screw 24. The adjustlng-screw 24 is arranged to contact with the end 25 of the spring 17. The adjustingscrew 24 is provided with a lock-nut 26.

The operation of my improved device is as follows: It will be noticed that in the preferred from shown in Fig. 1 the pivot 6 is so placed and the link 7 so proportioned that when the tongue is thrown over to either extreme of its movement against either side of the recess in the body part it will throw said pivot 6 by the center of the pivot-point where the link 7 joins the outer end of the spring 8. Hence the tension of the spring 8 will resist any attempt to move the switch-tongue om its position against either side of the recess to the opposite wall of said recess, thus insuring that when the switch-tongue is moved to either side of the recess the spring 8 will hold it in position with suHicient tension tov overcome any tendency of the wheel tread or iiange to move it as the wheel passes over the heel of the switch-tongue. The modiiied form shown in Fig. 5 possesses the same characteristics as to function as the form of switch-locking device shown in Figi.

The form of spring or the method of attaching it may be changed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a railway-switch, a body part; a

semicircular beveled bearing in said body part; a switch-tongue provided with a semicircular beveled bearing portion mounted in said body part, and adapted to fit the bearing therein and swing laterally thereof; a triangular projecting cam portion on the bottom of the switch-tongue; a yielding spring arranged to contact with said triangular cam-shaped projection for retaining the heel of the tongue in its bearing in the body part; and means for adjusting the tension on said spring.

2. In a railway-switch, a body part; a laterally-moving tongue mounted in said body part and arranged to oscillate laterally thereof; a triangular-shaped cam portion formed on the bottom of said switch-tongue 5 aspring mounted in housings attached to said body part a triangular cam formed upon said spring and adapted to contact with either side of the triangular cam portion formed upon the switch-tongue.

3. In a railway-switch, a body part; a semicireular undercut bearing in said body part; a switch-tongue provided with a semicircular beveled heel portion adapted to iit in the semicircular undercut bearing in the body part, and swing laterally therein; a eamsurface on the bottom of said tongue adapted?"L to contact with cam-surfaces on a transversely-disposed spring, said spring and means for adjusting the tension thereof to hold the tongue in its bearing, and to prevent it laterally swinging therein.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this the 31st day oi' August, A. D.

HENRY R. LUTHER. Witnesses:

R. I). ELLIOTT, A W. L. OBRION. 

